Do you really want a zombie apocalypse? I doubt it.

Book 11, DEAD: Blood & Betrayal is now out for the masses. This is the book that sets up the finale, DEAD: End which is due out this October. I will freely admit that this entry is about the length of DEAD: Revelations--up to this point, the shortest of my DEAD novels. Still a decent length, but not nearly as epic as DEAD: Spring which came in at over 125,000 words. (Novel length is considered anything over 50,000 which is around where most of my Ava books fall.) I always try to get around 100,000 words per book. I just feel that is a good number and very respectable considering some of the offerings out there. I don't pad my pages with large print or 1.5 spacing between lines. All that said, I anticipate the finale to be the biggest book of the series. I have visions of hitting the 200K word mark, but that will remain to be seen.

I hope that you enjoy this latest offering, and I look forward eagerly to your reviews. For me, that is perhaps as exciting as turning to that first page in a new book is for you.

Now, to the meat of today's post.

We all love the zombie genre. And many times I have been pulled in to the "what if" conversation. Honestly, I think it would be far worse than anything I can put on paper. If people think that I push the edges of human depravity on paper, then imagine the absolute elimination of law and order. I often get attacked for depicting certain things. (I still get hate mail and even a few death threats about Garrett--despite there not being ONE graphic scene written between Garrett and Kirsten.) But I did not invent this stuff. Watch the news...read a history book.

The wife and I were watching Outlander the other day when a scene came on that was quite unsavory. We joked about how that exact same scene would garner me a whole new batch of hate if it appeared in my books. Game of Thrones is simply brimming with such things, but I am getting off topic.

The truth is that society is fragile. Giving any person absolute power is dangerous. Abuse is a very common human trait. Without fear of reprisal or punishment, lines are blurred. I don't and won't get drawn into any sort of feminism argument. Women are very capable, but they are seldom a physical match for their male counterparts. I have one female friend who says very openly that she knows she would not last a week and would willingly rely on some of her male friends for her safety and well-being.

When it all comes down to it, the zombie apocalypse would be horrific. Sanitation? Gone. And I doubt the first waves of looters would be stealing toothpaste and toothbrushes. We would be filthy and miserable. It would be the camping trip from hell to the zillionth power. Once the grid fell, say goodbye to warmth and comfort. Oh, and add in all those pesky zombies trying to eat your face.

I love what I do for a living. I get to bring people into a world where the dead walk. It is fiction. Sometimes there can be a few nasty moments. But that is where I want it to stay...in the pages of a book.